The invention relates to a passenger protection arrangement for a vehicle.
So-called air-bag devices, with air bags capable of being filled by inflation devices, have become widespread for accident protection for passengers in vehicles and have generally proven their worth. In order to optimize such passenger protection arrangements, efforts have more recently been concentrated on satisfactorily solving the so-called "out-of-position" problem. This problem area is discussed in detail in the introduction of the description of DE 195 26 547. Here, reference is made expressly to the statements in columns 1 to 3 therein.
Various approaches have been disclosed for solving the problem. Thus, for example, DE 38 09 074-A1, DE 40 23 109-A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,241 and DE 43 41 500 belong to a type of passenger protection arrangements in which the position or posture of the passenger under consideration is constantly determined by a comparatively costly sensor system in order, in case of a vehicular accident, to fill the inflatable air bag to match. Optionally, suppression of air bag filling may also be provided, as described, for example, in EP 0,458,102-A1. The safety device last mentioned is very simple in terms of apparatus, but does not permit selective control of inflation behavior for passengers who happen to be in an "out-of-position" posture on the seat of the vehicle.
A second type of passenger protection arrangement provides structural measures on the air bag and/or on the gas generator housing for eliminating the "out-of-position" problem. In this connection, DE 43 34 606-A1, DE 195 26 547-A1, DE 195 15 980-A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,166 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,488 may be mentioned as prior art. In particular, in the last two sources cited, it is described how the speed of expansion of the air bag is decreased by contact with a cover section of the bag. The air bag itself is designed so that when the cover encounters an obstacle the mass flow emerging from a gas generator is controlled. In this way, hitting of an obstacle (for example, a child standing in the floor space or a passenger found in "out-of-position" posture) by the full mass flow can be prevented or limited.